A clinical depression disorder is more than just a feeling of sadness. Most people experience that a few times in their lives. That’s normal because life is full of challenges, moments of happiness, and periods of disappointment.
Major depressive disorder, however, means that sadness is overwhelming you. It’s causing you mental pain and physical symptoms, as well. Also, depression lasts more than just a day or two.
Depression might even make you feel like people would be better without you around or that you might not want to be here anymore. You may take drugs or drink alcohol to try to numb the pain. That’s when it’s time to consider mental health treatment at a facility like TruHealing Centers. We have years of experience in helping people regain control of their lives from depression. Recognizing the signs of depression is the first step in getting that help.
4 Signs of Depression
1. Persistent Sadness
The sadness that comes with a depression disorder isn’t like the occasional blues most people experience in life. It is a persistent feeling of hopelessness or emptiness.
You may not feel like you want to cry all the time. Others don’t feel much of anything. Some people don’t experience happiness or despair, only a consistently low mood mixed without other emotions such as regret, guilt, or worthlessness.
That persistent feeling can take its toll on you physically, too. You might be tired all the time and have trouble wanting to get out of bed. Some people have the opposite reaction. They can’t sit still or feel restless all the time. There may be ruminative thoughts that are negative or self-deprecating.
The sadness may be accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach upset, too. Muscles may be sore from tensing up during periods of anxiety. You may lose or gain large amounts of weight.
2. Loss of Interest
People tend to lose interest in the things they care about when depressed. They may not bother with personal hygiene or clean up around the house.
The things they enjoy doing, like painting, playing music, or exercising, fall by the wayside because they no longer take pleasure in them. They may refuse to socialize.
3. Suicide Ideation
Suicide ideation means thinking or planning ways you might take your life. Thoughts of suicide are one of the more serious symptoms of a clinical depression disorder. An estimated sixty percent of people who commit suicide have a mood disorder that involves depressive episodes like major depressive or bipolar disorder. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
4. Substance Abuse
There is a direct connection between addiction and mental health conditions like depression. Many people who experience this persistent sadness or emptiness will try to self-medicate by drinking alcohol or taking a drug that makes them feel good. That is why many programs like TruHealing Centers offer mental health services and substance abuse treatment.
It’s important to treat both conditions together because they feed off of one another. If you treat only the substance abuse problem, it may reoccur once the sadness of depression returns.
When You Have Signs of Depression, Reach Out for Help
TruHealing Centers is one of the leading treatment programs in the country, and we have facilities all along the east coast. The staff at TruHealing Centers understands the importance of individual care planning because no two people experience addiction the same way. Often there are untreated mental health issues like depression. By doing personalized care plans, we ensure that we can address any underlying issues and the substance use disorder at the same time.
The many facilities that makeup TruHealing Centers offer a continuum of care that includes:
We understand how depression impacts lives and want to help. Give us a call at [Direct] or fill out our online contact form today.